Convertible jacket



T. C. HARRY CONVERTIBLE JACKET Dec. 26, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May '7, 1949 Isnnentor 75M 6. HAP/e).

Gtforneu T. c. HARRY 2,535,205

CONVERTIBLE JACKET Dec. 26, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 7, 1949 3nventot 76/7 6. f/A/eley.

Gttorneg Patented Dec. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVERTIBLE JACKET Tom 0. Harry, New Orleans, La.

Application May 7, 1949, Serial No. 91,923

3 Claims.

This invention relates to jackets, particularly jackets of the sport or casual wear variety, a purpose being to provide a jacket which will be convertible or transformable in appearance and character.

The particular conversion contemplated by the invention is in respect to the collar which constitutes a distinctive characteristic of the garment, and. an object is to enable the wearer, by a simple operation and adjustment, to shift readily from one character of jacket to another, according to the preferences of the wearer and the particular occasion of use.

Particularly an object is to provide a jacket which may be worn either with or without a collar and which in either aspect will be a completely finished garment, and which with or without a collar effectively conceals its convertible character.

Other general objects are simplicity and inexpensiveness of construction and neatness of appearance. Still other objects will appear from the following description.

The jacket, in accordance with the invention, is made in finished state without a conventional or folded collar, but has means, such as zippers, for attaching and detaching collars. For concealing the convertible character of the jacket when a conventional collar is applied, the collar is of a length to extend partially down over the front or straight edge portion of the jacket and the attaching means are continued to the very ends of the collar, so that the curved breast edge portions are enfolded in the turned-over lapel portions of the collar. and the fact that the front edges are within the fold of the collar instead of being a continuation of the lapel edge, is effectively concealed.

If desired, to prevent the lapels from turning up and revealing the enclosed edge, snap fasteners or the like may be employed near the bottom ends of the collar at substantially the juncture of the curved breast portions of the edges and the straight front portions.

The invention will be understood from a perusal of the following description of the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a jacket in its simple or collarless state.

Fig. 2 is an inside elevation on a reduced scale of a collar, unfolded and straightened out, which is designed to be applied to the jacket of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, of the jacket with the collar of Fig. 2 applied.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on enlarged scale on the line iof Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on enlarged scale on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5a is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing an additional feature.

The jacket I, in its finished and unitary state, is made without a collar. However, theedge about the neck and the breast and front is finished so that the garment may be worn without a collar.

On the'underside or inner face of the jacket around that portion of the edge which to be occupied by' a collar, is a. zipper tape or strip 2 with the slide 3. As shown, the neck portion 4 of the finished edge continues into the curved and converging breast portions 5 which, in turn, merge into the respective front edge portions 6. While the merger of the breast portions into the front portions is very gradual, there is a point where the edges cease to be straight and begin to curve and flare. In Fig. 1, this point is substantially at the point I. The zipper 2 on each side terminates below the point l, or, in other words, is continued on to the straight front sections.

It will be appreciated that different patterns of collars applied to the jacket will distinctly alter the character and appearance of the jacket. The collars, for example, may be of different color and different material, and they may be of different design, such as a sport collar or a regulation, formal collar.

The latter type of collar 8 is shown in Fig. 3 applied to the jacket. This collar is shown on reduced scale in Fig. When folded, the collar partakes of the contour of the jacket neck and collar portion, but when unfolded it will lie flat as depicted in Fig. 2.

The collar folds or turns over upon the line 9, thus making an outer fold It and an inner fold H, and when. so folded streamlines the ends of the collar at the points 'i" as shown in Fig. 3. A cooperative zipper strip 53 is secured on the inner face of the fold it and extends the full length thereof, being of the same length as the zipper strip 2.

As shown, the collar is folded so as to enclose the zipper strip [3, and to attach the collar the left end of the collar zipper, as shown in Fig. 2, is applied to the left end of the jacket zipper as shown in Fig. 1, and the sliding of the slide 3 completely around from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 3 will attach the collar. The reverse movement of the slide will detach the collar.

Since the collar at both ends extends down below the point I on to the straight front portions of the opposing edges, the detachability of the collar is not readily apparent. To hold the lapels down securely and so more assuredly conceal the separate character of the collar, fasteners such as the snap fasteners 14 shown in Fig. 5a may be used.

It is obvious that buttons and other forms of attaching means may be substituted for the zippers, and that other modifications may be made within the principle and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A convertible jacket comprising a collarless, open front jacket having a continuous finished, unfolded edge about the neck and the breast and front portions of the jacket, the opposing edges of the breast portions converging from the neck toward and merging at a tangency into the edges of the front portions, a linear series of attachable and detachable fastening means about said unfolded edge and spaced from the edge on the inner face thereof, a folded unitary combined collar and lapel member shaped to embrace and fit about said edge and of a length to merge tangentially into the front portions, the outer fold of said member constituting the collar and lapels and the inner fold terminating with the lower extremities of the lapel portions, and a cooperative series of fastening means on the inner face of the inner fold spaced from the edge thereof so as to be outwardly invisible, whereby the jacket presents but a single layer on each front edge below the terminus of each lapel when the collar is attached.

2. A convertible jacket comprising a collarless, open front jacket having a, continuous finished, unfolded edge about the neck and the breast and front portions of the jacket, the opposing edges of the breast portions converging from the neck toward and merging at a tangency into the edges of the front portions, a zipper strip secured about said unfolded edge and spaced from the edge on the inner face thereof, a folded unitary combined collar and lapel member shaped to embrace and fit about said edge and of a length to merge tangentially into the front portions, the outer fold of said member constituting the collar and lapels and the inner fold terminating with the lower extremities of the lapel portions, and a cooperative zipper strip on the inner face of the inner fold spaced from the edge thereof so as to be outwardly invisible, whereby the jacket presents but a single layer on each front edge below the terminus of each lapel when the collar is attached.

3. A convertible jacket as defined in claim 2 having cooperative snap fasteners on each side of the outer face of the jacket and on the inner face of the outer fold of the collar near each end thereof.

TOM C. HARRY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,273,742 Weinberg Feb. 17, 1942 2,305,986 Ottusch Dec. 22, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 277,550 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1927 

